


Behind the Corporate Mask

by TalesFromLuka



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, First Time, Fluff and Smut, Jack being Jack, NSFW, POV Female Character, Reader-Insert, Slight Violence in the beginning, a lot more of just reader-insert, please enjoy, this is a tiny bit self-insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2018-07-30
Packaged: 2019-06-18 16:57:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15490473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TalesFromLuka/pseuds/TalesFromLuka
Summary: Before he was Handsome Jack, you knew him as Jack, erroneously and often called John, a lowly programmer who used to be your colleague. You watched as he left the ranks of underling and into the position of leader, kicking ass and taking names. As time passed, your fear of him grew just as much as your admiration. After finally gaining his recognition, he calls you to his office to congratulate your efforts. When you arrive, you find your reward is a little more than what you expected.





	Behind the Corporate Mask

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Reader x Canon fic, but I’ve read a considerable amount and also have been playing this series for a while. What I mean to say here is that I hope you enjoy what little experience I have in this genre and find this somewhat entertaining.

Hyperion wasn’t a welcoming corporation in the slightest. At first, your arrival on Helios seemed like it would be a comfort from the lawless land of Pandora. That of course changed when you actually spent more than five minutes on the base. While there wasn’t a risk of the wildlife killing you or becoming a victim of crossfire, there was the risk of your colleagues, even the most well-to-do one, spacing you if it meant climbing the corporate ladder. 

You often wondered if it would’ve been better had you landed on Pandora and adapted, but there was one reason you stayed. It all started in the lower ranks where you had taken a job as a programmer. Though your group was vital to operations, you often were treated as little more than code monkeys with less meaning than the binary that your instructions were read in. It was only until one of you had the bright idea to try to change the dynamic. 

When you knew him as a colleague, he was erroneously called John by Tassiter, despite everyone knowing him as Jack. He had no more power than anyone in your group until he decided to hire a group of Vault Hunters. Then, all hell broke loose. He came back physically and mentally changed from the man you knew. A mask replaced the kind face you once knew with one of artificial perfection. He replaced Tassiter and started a new reign on both Hyperion and Pandora, all with his new moniker Handsome Jack. The established order you were accustomed to had changed and you liked it.

Sure, there were plenty of reasons to fear him and there was more than enough evidence to convince you that he was an evil man, but as much as you feared him, you admired the hell out of him. You found yourself trying harder at work to gain his favor, to become such an integral part of operations on your lonesome that he had no choice but to acknowledge you. You wanted to see a man that became a hero to the peasants of Helios, and you wanted to make sure he knew you.

It was your lucky day when Jack called you into his office after you decrypted some key blueprints from Dahl that gave you the upper hand when it came to weapon manufacturing. It wasn’t necessary, of course, being that your company ruled Hyperion, but Jack loved shoving a huge middle finger in the face of his competitors. It was just another way to add insult to injury and, with a few tweaks here and there, there would be a new weapon that required half of the design time. 

You made sure you looked the part today, too. You managed to cover up the lack of sleep from the hours you spent into the night coding with a good dose of liquid cardboard. You took the time to dress in your best corporate attire: a grey blazer, a white button-up blouse, pencil skirt, nude stockings, and your trusty pair of pumps. It was better than the baggy Hyperion t-shirt and sweatpants that you often did your work in. 

Fixing your neat bun, you took a step out of the elevator and stood in front of his office until the doors opened. As you walked into his trophy of an office, you saw him sitting at his desk, feet propped up and listening with feigned interest to a call. Though the changes to his appearance were significant, you could still tell it was the same Jack in his mannerisms. The utter hate he had for business calls, the mixture of boredom and frustration that showed in his eyes, his fingers impatiently tapping on the desk, the way he propped his head in his hand. You wondered to yourself if he would recognize you, but you barely had any time to talk to him in his programmer days: it would be a miracle if he even knew your name.

“Sir, the conditions were under have made it a little hard to complete this on ti-”

He stood at his desk, looming over the holographic display. One of his hands was out of sight, hitting keys on his computer with impressive speed. 

“I’m sorry, I was too busy imagining doing anything other than listen to you speak, but I think I heard you say that you’re not gonna finish something I want in the time that I want it. I mean I may just be hearing things since every word that comes out of your mouth sounds worse than a skag mating call.” 

He paused for a moment followed by some hysterical laughter. “Skag Taint! That’s your name now. I can’t believe it took me this long to think of that.” He laughed for a bit more before clearing his throat. “Listen, Skag Taint. You’ve got two options: You can do the job I told you to do or I will personally find someone to blow that stupid look of your face and do your job. How does that sound?”

“You’re a madman if you think anyone coul-”

“Oh wrong answer there, Skag Taint.” His other hand tapped a few more keys before his lips curled into a smile. You could hear some metal clunking in the background and the man’s voice suddenly became frantic. 

“I misspoke! I change my mind, sir, please just give me-” A loud bang sounded and you saw Handsome Jack clap his hands together. “Aw man! That was more than what I asked for, I didn’t know you could actually blow someone’s face off! I’m gonna have to give that loaderbot a promotion or whatever you give bots.” 

You watched in awe at the changes you saw. After years of being stepped on, Jack really didn’t take shit from anyone. You only saw your admiration and fear grow. 

Turning off the display, his gaze met yours from the corner of his eyes and you found yourself letting a sharp gasp out. You could feel your heart skip a beat as his attention switched to you. 

“Oh, hello,” he lengthened the sound, almost a little melody in the way he said it. “You know when they said someone did all that work with Dahl, they didn’t mention it being a woman. Sorry about the thing with Skag Taint. Unlike you, he didn’t get the point of getting the job done. Especially when I want it done.”

You found yourself flustered as he spoke directly to you. You nervously tucked a stray hair behind your ear and cleared your throat to speak. 

“Y-yes, well. I, uh, just thought it’d help us get the upper hand. With Dahl being our competitor and all.”

Jack rose an eyebrow at your demeanor. “You nervous there, cupcake? You can come closer, you know. I don’t exactly want to shout at you the entire time. Promise I don’t bite.”

Your face turned red and you managed to nod before taking the steps up to his desk and standing in front of it. So much for making an impression.

“I gotta say, there’s a lot of idiots and kissasses in this office that are all talk and no action. But you’re not one of those. Stealing blueprints from Dahl’s servers without them noticing and breaking the encryption? That takes some guts. Hell of a dirty move to sabotage our other corporation.”

You swallowed the lump in your throat. God it was hot in here. Was it hot in here? 

“Well, you know..the programming staff all, um, admire you down there. But you know- they- they don’t, uh, take much initiative. They all kinda want to do the minimum but that- that doesn’t get anything done.” 

You found yourself taking a deep breath. You had this, there was nothing you needed to do. Why were you so nervous?

He came around from the desk, sitting in front of you now. A flash of heat ran down your body and you tried your best to keep your composure up.

“Yeah, I knew you looked familiar. You worked there when I did, right? Your desk had that uh..god what was it?”

Your eyes lightened. It was a miracle. “It was some stupid programming joke mug that I got at a party. It’s still there.”

He snapped his fingers and pointed at you. “Oh yeah! I used to look over at that when I needed a break. Never thought to ask you where you got it but I kinda wanted to steal it from time to time.”

You giggled lightly without noticing before you came to a silence, covering your mouth. “Sorry, I just- It was kind of-”

The look in his eyes changed. It almost seemed gentler though that would be very uncharacteristic of him. 

He stood and took a step towards you. “No, tell me. I have to say you look a lot better smiling than you do as a stuffy corporate zombie.”

Shit, he was close. You wondered if Jack felt the temperature rise or if it was just you. “I just thought it was kind of cute. Thinking about you wanting to steal a mug because of what was on it. Maybe I’m just being stup-”

He got closer and put a hand under your chin, making it so you had to look at him. “You can’t be stupid. I just said you weren’t an idiot or a kissass. I’m pretty sure my word is law.” 

His eyes were peering into your core now. For someone saying that he liked you smiling, he seemed to also like making you fluster. His touch sent shivers down your spine: it was gentle but firm, making sure you knew who was in control of the situation.

“Y-you’re right. I just thought you wouldn’t like to be called cute.” His other hand pulled the pin holding your hair up, letting it fall messily to your sides. It traveled to your waist, forcing you closer to him and pressing you against him. Your heart was beating out of your chest. 

“Well, if you were anyone else, maybe.” His grip on your chin loosened and you immediately felt his hand in your hair, propping it up towards him. Your gazes met again and you could see the mischief in his eyes. He knew this was going to end up this way. “I do have to reward you in some way, cupcake. Let’s just call that part one.”

Your body was like jelly in his hands. You didn’t fight anything he did. Deep down, you knew you had wanted this for so long. Admiration was more of a blanket term for what you felt and somehow, the minute he saw you, he knew that there was something else in there. 

You found your voice had become soft, meek. It wasn’t quivering with fear but it definitely showed your true feelings. “What exactly is part two?” You managed to say.

“Aww, kitten. You’re smarter than that.” He tightened his grip on you as he pressed his lips hard against yours. You were surprised at first, thinking he would pull something at the last moment. He had a fistful of your hair in his hand as his tongue touched your lips asking for permission. Your lips parted as the kiss deepened. 

You found your hands finding their way to his hair, your fingers threading through it as he moved the hand on your waist to the small of your back. He wanted to feel the rise he got out of you. You wondered if he had this in mind the whole time. 

You broke off as soon as you needed to catch your breath, Jack letting out a small chuckle as you breathed heavily. 

“_____,” the way your name rolled off his tongue sent shivers was music to your ears. You were convinced he’d forgotten who you were in his race to the top and it was almost a shock that he remembered to you. “That can’t be all you got, right?” His thumb traced your bottom lip, sending a tingling sensation through your core.

“You actually know my name?”

He smirked, tilting your head to the side so that he could nuzzle the crook of your neck. “I have to admit it was a little fun watching you squirm. That and pretending not to know exactly who you were. It was more of a reward for me, really. After all, you turned a nice shade of red, cupcake.” You let out a sharp breath as he gently bit your neck, leaving a mark before he planted his lips softly over it. 

Your hands gripped the front of his shirt. Your legs felt weak, numb. You came in under the pretense of leaving an impression, but now you think that it was really Jack who wanted to leave the impression.

“I thought you didn’t bite.” Your voice wavered. He turned you around and pressed you into the desk, noticing your body faltering. 

He pulled away from your neck again, his look full of desire, hunger even. His hands found their way to your blazer, removing it from you and tossing it aside. “Only when I don’t want to.” His voice was almost a growl. He grabbed your ass and pressed into you again, his kiss feeling more ravenous this time. You wrapped your legs around his waist, allowing him to pin you to the desk. You wanted him to be closer, to actually feel his skin. Jack was certainly charismatic and it was in more ways than one. 

You stuck your hands under his shirt, exploring his body with what little opportunity you had. His hands roughly pulled your shirt apart which was a bit of a shame. You really liked that shirt. He pulled away to examine your body, his hands running down your sides. “Holy shit.” He spoke, sounding like a kid in a candy store. He worked quickly to unclasp your bra, exposing more of you to him. You crossed your arms before anything else could happen.

“What’s the matter, kitten?” His gaze showed some concern, worried that he had gone too far.

You put a hand on your forehead, and let it cover your eyes. “I haven’t done this before. I don’t want to..disappoint you.”

His hand gently removed yours from your eyes and he placed a soft kiss on your lips. “You wouldn’t be here if I thought you were disappointing.” The new Jack slowly melted away in your mind, and now you could see the Jack you knew. The one that was behind the mask. 

You let him take both your wrists and place them beside you. He kissed your lips again and trailed down until he came upon your breasts. He sucked on your nipple gently at first, listening for your reaction. A small moan escaped your lips as he began to lightly bite before switching. In this moment, his free hand found its way under your skirt, feeling for your sex. You felt his fingers gently enter you, his thumb circling your sensitivity. 

Just as quickly as they entered, he took his lips from your breast and pulled his hand away. You whimpered disappointedly as he licked his fingers. “Now, that is the answer I was looking for. At least from you.”

“Jack-” You began, but he was already working on taking your skirt off. 

“Come on, kitten. You gotta be more patient than that. I didn’t clear my schedule just so this could be a one-and-done.” He pulled your stockings off, your heels going with it. He trailed kisses down from your breasts to your area, his smile curling as he watched you wait impatiently. 

“Maybe I should’ve done this earlier. You’re a little too into this now.” You let out a louder sound than you wanted as his tongue found its way around your most sensitive area. You found it much harder to keep quiet than when he was just at your chest. You wondered whether Handsome Jack was really referring to just his looks.

“Fuck.” You said as he continued to explore your lower region, your hands finding their way to his hair and pulling at handfuls. He was more than generous in making sure you were enjoying yourself. Right before you could finish, he left you on the edge. 

“I have to say, cupcake. I didn’t take you as someone who could even say those words. Better yet react like this,” his finger lightly touched your entrance, teasing you with more. He spent a few minutes removing his shirt and jacket. His hair that had been usually gelled into place was now a mess from sweat and your hands. You couldn’t help but smile at the way he looked. He wasn’t perfect in this way. He was more open vulnerable. 

A laugh escaped your heavy breaths and you propped yourself up, wrapping your arms behind his neck. “You’re adorable like this.” You said, your finger tracing his jawline. You pressed your lips to his quickly, leaving a trail on his jaw before you reached his neck. 

“You’re really gonna pay later for calling me cute so many times. That’s not what I’m going for here, if you haven’t no-” He did a mix between a groan and a laugh as you reciprocated his bite from before. “I see someone has decided to show her true self.” He pulled you away from his neck and pressed hard against your lips, unbuckling his pants as he did. 

“I’m selfish here, kitten. I’m not gonna let you finish until I do.” 

You felt something hard press against you and that’s when you knew for sure that Handsome Jack was more than just his appearance. He lifted you slightly, readying you for what was to come.

“Will it hurt?” You asked, breaking the kiss before you two could continue. 

He placed a hand on your cheek, rubbing it with his thumb. “I’ll let you tell me what to do just this once. You have some control but only this time. Can’t have a programmer controlling the most powerful guy in Hyperion all the time.” 

You smiled less than assuredly but you nodded to give him the go ahead. Slowly, he entered you, letting you take him in for a moment. He gave you a look of concern, “You okay?”

You took a moment to catch your breath better and nodded again. He carefully laid you both back onto his desk, clearing anything around you two. He rhythmically thrusted into you, not too slow and not too fast. You had a few smaller sparse moans at first and you found your body more accepting of your first time than you thought it could. All the myths of cherry-popping left your mind and you melted into this. 

“More.” It came out as a hush, audible enough for him to hear.

Jack stopped suddenly. He did let you have control, but he wasn’t going to let you have it right away. “I’m sorry, what did you say there? I think you’re forgetting something.”

“Please, Jack. More.” You whimpered out.

He smiled and kissed your cheek. “Well since you asked so nicely.” He resumed, a bit harder and faster than he was before. He gripped your thigh tightly and you could feel him try not to dig his nails in.A small kindness you supposed, or maybe he just didn’t want to break you. His own grunts and moans mixed with your exhales. You arched your back to give him an easier time, his cocky smile surfacing as he watched you change. 

“I expected a bit more harmony, cupcake. Looks like I’m gonna have to change that. His fingers circled your bud, making you let out a cry of ecstasy. Your gaze was a mix of a glare and bliss and he could help but laugh. “I don’t see you complaining either.”

He picked up the pace, his thrust hard, movements fast. His lips were at your neck, giving soft kisses to try and keep you with him. You ran your nails across his back, trying not to lose yourself to everything that was happening. Today was more than anything you could’ve imagined and you needed to be sure that it wasn’t just some elaborate dream. 

“Jack,” you called his name several times, wanting him to look at you, to remind you that he was really there with you. Before you wanted nothing more than his gaze to leave you, now you needed it again.

He placed his forehead on yours, his eyes meeting yours. You could feel your breath mix with his, a smile devoid of arrogance finally showing on his face. “You rang?” He joked, and you pulled his stupid smile to your lips. You could feel yourself reaching your end, and reached for the hand on your thigh. You wanted some sort of comfort as you closed in on the end and he seemed to understand. He laced his fingers with yours, giving a few hurried thrusts.

“Fuck, come on, kitten. We started this thing together, we’re gonna end it together.” After a few more moments interlocked in ecstasy, you both finished as he said. Jack let go of your hands and cupped your face in his hands, planting one last passionate kiss on your lips. 

He let you catch your breath before he left you, laying on his back next to you. “Fuck,” was all he managed to say between his own heavy exhales. 

You rolled onto your side, curling up next to him as he put an arm around you. You peeked up at him, your fingers running over his chest rather absentmindedly. 

He smiled at you with more warmth than arrogance. He was soft somewhere beneath his hard surface and he proved it to you more than you thought possible. “Good for you? You don’t have to answer. I know it was.”

You hit his chest playfully and he took your hand in his. “Hey, you know you’re really not allowed to hit your boss like that.”

“I don’t think I’m supposed to do anything we just did with my boss, either.”

He smirked, laughing heartily. “Well, if you don’t remember, I make the rules. Not you.”

He sat up, bringing you with him. “So hitting your boss, no. Doing everything we just did, yes. Seem about right? Don’t answer that, I know it’s right.”

You couldn’t help but peck his lips one more time. “You’re not making a good case against being cute.”

Jack snorted, caressing your cheek. “Fine. I’ll make a law that only you can say that. Here. In this room. When only we’re around. I’m a dictator for Christ’s sake. Can’t have my image ruined.”

You rested your head on his shoulder. “Thank you for the reward,” you said, quietly still a bit reserved despite everything.

“Oh you thought that was the reward, huh? That was only part two. You sent a nice little ‘fuck you’ to Dahl wrapped up all nice and pretty. That’s less than I’ve done since I got rid of those Atlas dickholes a few years ago. You’re gonna be my personal decryptor now. I’m not leaving you down there with all those...me-worshippers.”

You looked up at him with your own raised brow. “You’re very full of yourself.”

He grabbed your chin with his thumb and index finger, pulling your lips closer to his. “And you love it.”

Perhaps Jack was different, but one thing was certain. There was no way in hell you’d leave Helios now.


End file.
